Director
Doug Liman
Cast
Brad Pitt….John Smith
Angelina Jolie….Jane Smith
Vince Vaughn….Eddie
Adam Brody….Benjamin Danz
Kerry Washington….Jasmine
Keith David….Father
Chris Weitz….Martin Coleman
Rachael Huntley….Suzy Coleman
Michelle Monaghan….Gwen
The Movie
Critics have hammered this movie. Part, if not most, of the reason for that is due to Brangelina being born through this movie. It’s not really fair to judge a movie by the actors’ personal lives, but such is life. I harbor no ill will and judge this movie for what it is: A fun little ride of comedy, action and love that doesn’t try to be a masterpiece, it just fills its little niche.
5 or 6 years ago John and Jane Smith met in Bogotá, Columbia while they were both on “vacation”. With many assassinations taking place in the country, police were checking tourists traveling alone and the Smiths came across each other and acted as if they were together to avoid being hassled. A romance blossomed and they were married shortly thereafter, against the objections of friends.
Fast forward 5 or 6 years and the two have a passionless marriage and are seeking counseling. Both seem very occupied and work and basically have little to no time for the other.
Now while they are occupied with work, they are not what they seem. Both are assassins and the best in their field. They also work for dueling companies, but neither knows of the other’s real job. What happens when John and Jane are sent to the same hit? What happens when they find out who the other person really is? Well, shenanigans ensue, and it’s a wild, funny ride.
Like I said, critics wrecked house on this movie, some calling it unwatchable. It is a fun movie with some great performances. Pitt and Jolie absolutely capture the screen every time they are together and bring a passion to the screen that I haven’t seen in quite some time. Doug Liman does a good job of putting everything together and really stoking the fire that Pitt and Jolie set. It’s a fun piece of work all around.
Having watched both the original version and now the “Unrated”, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the unrated version is more fun. Most of the extra cuts you see on DVDs don’t add up to much. The additions in this movie are hilarious and might have (I kind of doubt it) changed the opinions of some critics.
Story: 6/10
Acting: 8/10
Look/Feel: 7/10
Originality: 7/10
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Total Score: 35/50
FINAL Score: 7/10
The Video
Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 – Transfer is flawless.
The Audio
5.1 Dolby Surround – Sounds good. The guns are loud and the music works well.
The Extras
Confidential Files: Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Alternate Ending –
Normally I don’t like deleted scenes because they don’t add anything to the film. The ones on this disc are actually really funny and could have played a good part in the film. The film would have been like 3 hours, but whatever.
The gag reel is funny as always. Pitt seems like he would be hilarious to work with.
The alternate ending is decent, but the one they stuck with is certainly better.
Domestic Violence: Shooting Mr. and Mrs. Smith – A long feature that encompasses everything from script creation to movie creation, with studio rejection and casting importance in between.
Doug’s Film School – A selection of scenes and how they were done with lead-ins by Doug Liman. Interesting that they were going to use a completely different setting for the initial conflict between the Smiths until they found out it would cost about 2 million dollars.
Galleries – Photo albums from the shoot. Bleh.
Score: 6/10
